Words at the Abyss
by eleni459
Summary: She knew she was no match for him. It didn't stop her from trying. Direct and allusive spoilers for the Soul Society, Arrancar, and Hueco Mundo Arcs. AizenxHinamori


Warnings: Direct and allusive spoilers from the Soul Society, Arrancar, and Hueco Mundo Arcs.

Notes: Title taken from a song title from the RahXephon movie soundtrack (composed by Ichiko Hashimoto).

Disclaimer: Bleach is the brainchild of Kubo Tite and is distributed by Shueisha in Japan and Viz Media in the US. I receive no monetary benefit from this work.

* * *

She was unaware of the others' fates. She did know, though, that the threat had not passed. The warning bell still resounded through Seireitei hours after it had begun. When it first began to sound, the vibrations jolted her from bed and sent her crashing to the floor in anguish. Now, it was nothing more than a numb ringing in her ears. Though she knew that her comrades where strong, she also realized that if the seven remaining captains had failed to hold him back, they were powerless to stop him.

And though she knew that she was just as helpless – if not more so – than they, Hinamori still found herself at the entrance to the Seijoutou-Kyorin. She had no clue as to where he would use the key or even if he had it. The others had been less than forthcoming with her about the little details. All she had to go on were his intentions. Intellectually, she knew why they had withheld so much information from her. In the minds of most shinigami, Hinamori Momo had been relegated to the least needed lines of Seireitei defense. Sure, there were others who were weaker or less tested than she. But to those shinigami, Aizen Sousuke was nothing more than a vague memory. He certainly wasn't someone they had trusted or loved. They had only been betrayed in name only.

As she walked inside, she felt as if little had changed. To the outside observer, nothing would seem amiss. The chamber appeared to be mostly clean and free from damage. But if she squinted, it seemed as if the walls were bruised by water damage. And there was a specific spot on the floor that looked awkward. "It's like the blood won't come off," she said softly. To her own surprise, she smirked. To everyone else, this was all an event out of the admittedly recent past. To her, it almost seemed like yesterday. "How quickly they try to wash it all away. How quickly they all forget."

"It's as if they wish to believe we were never here at all."

She turned to see him standing in the doorway. Though he wore a different uniform and his manner was changed, she knew who it was. For a moment, it seemed as if it were déjà vu. They had been there before: newly returned captain to subordinate. But she quickly shook the feeling off. Had that incident not ended the way it did, neither of them would be were they were now. "Perhaps," she said, suddenly confident. "But they were only doing their jobs. They can't care if it seems as if they're tossing me aside."

"But that's just what they want to do." Casually, he began to smile and walk towards her. "We were always close. Weren't we, Hinamori-kun?"

She nodded. "Close," at least to her, seemed like an inappropriate term. She had let him close enough to know her fears. Close enough to know the little things that helped her through the day. Close enough to lie tired and wet next to her in her bedroom. But how close had she been to him? She didn't want to ponder it. "Are you alone?"

"There are others, but they are far from this place," he said, smiling.

"Fighting your former allies?"

"You can't have a revolution without spilling a little blood."

"Then you have it, don't you?"

"The key?"

He continued to walk toward her. As he did so, he reached into his hakama and pulled out the key. For a moment, Hinamori was stunned by its sparkling golden sheen. But that soon faded and she couldn't help but notice how large it seemed. It dwarfed even his hands. "And so they had to die for it?"

"Just the town, Hinamori-kun," he said as he placed the key back into its place. "Just the town. And though it was here in Soul Society, we couldn't let anything too terrible happen to Seireitei."

"You wouldn't reach the King otherwise."

"Exactly." He reached out his hand to her, saying, "I always knew that I could count on you to understand."

She could only stare at his hand. On the surface, it looked just as it always did. There were no new signs of wear and tear. It was as if nothing had changed. Yet she knew what those hands had done. They had commanded armies against her friends. They had taken thousands of innocent lives without the least bit of regret. Still, she couldn't help but reach out and take it. "Taichou," she whispered. "I…"

"There is no need to say anything." He pulled her to him, letting her bury her face inside his hakama. Gently, he slipped his hand underneath her chin. Together, they cleared the distance between them until their lips met. It had been quite awhile since he had kissed her. Had she not known better, she would have dwelled on this moment until the end. She would have missed the quick sound his sword being pulled into action. As it was, she only had a moment to grab hold of Tobiume before she felt its blade slice at her arm. But Tobiume was soon at attention and their blades met, giving her just enough time to jump back to safety.

"I didn't expect that, " said Aizen with a smile.

"Perhaps I have more things to surprise you with." In the gulf between them, she released: "Snap, Tobiume!" To her own ear, her voice didn't sound like her own. It seemed vast and just slightly hoarse. But perhaps, she thought, it would play to her advantage. She didn't need him to see her as the girl she was before. He needed to know that she had changed.

"Is this really necessary, Hinamori-kun?"

"I believe so." With a slash of her sword, she sent a fireball swinging toward the entrance. Parts of the wall withered and fell to the floor in a heap. "It may take your friends a moment to get through that."

"The same goes for your comrades as well."

"I know that," she said. "I'm willing to take that chance."

"But it's not just a 'chance.' If your friends were incapable of stopping me, there is no way that you can."

"That may be so, but I can't just let you pass."

"But what about what you want? I know that you wanted that kiss. It was written across every inch of your body."

"So what!" she screamed. "I know that you won't just give me more of what I want just because I let you through. What I need obviously doesn't matter anymore. I cannot let you destroy everything just because I want you!"

"So be it." With that, Aizen seemed to disappear. But Hinamori stayed on her guard. She had been informed of Kyouka Suigetsu's powers. Even so, she was surprised to feel the sword once again at her arm. Wildly, she slashed behind her before jumping away. Once she believed that she was safely away, she latched onto her bloodied arm. She looked up to see that Aizen was doing the same. "See!" she said, making sure that her voice did not relay to him that it was just a lucky movement, "perhaps I do have skills that will surprise you."

"Perhaps you do. It'll just be one surprise after the other. Then this will be our little game, won't it, Hinamori-kun?"

There was a not-so-hidden edge to his voice. Hinamori didn't know what to make of it. But she did know that, regardless of what happened, she had to stay on her feet long enough for the others to return. She didn't know if she could do. She just knew she had to try. "Yes, taichou," she answered. "It'll be just like old times."

"That's just the way to look at it," he said. "It'll make this easier for both of us."

* * *

It had not taken long to break through the barricade. A member of the 12th division had offered up one of her Captain's incendiary devices and it evaporated the rubble with ease. As the remaining Captains, fresh from defeat, rushed in, they gawked at the piles of debris marking their paths. But they soon turned away from the destruction and toward the kneeling body of Hinamori Momo. Hitsugaya pushed past the others as he made his way toward her.

As he moved closer, his speed slowed. He noticed that Tobiume laid by her side, covered in blood. The hand that gently caressed its hilt appeared to be beaten and bruised. As he moved closer, he believed that he could hear her chant. Each step brought better audibility until he could finally make out the words: "He's coming back, I know it."

He rushed to her side. He noticed that her other hand hovered clenched and bloodied in front her chest. Her face, though slightly scratched and dirty, appeared placid. It was at that moment that he noticed that her eyes were focused just above his head. He twisted toward that point and gasped. In midair stood a dark rip in the void that appeared to be in the shape of a door. "Then Aizen has…"

"He's going to see the King," murmured Hinamori, her eyes still focused on the door. "But don't worry. He's coming back."

"How can you know that?" he asked.

"He just has to. I mean, he can't possibly think that was it. He can't think that this is really over."


End file.
